Doran and her group were likely the most shocked.
They had cleared the Hard mode of Black Prison Forest before, but never discovered, or even heard of, a hidden path deep in the Shadow Swamp.
Upon reflection, it seemed almost obvious.
The monsters in Shadow Swamp were known for their high defense.
Most teams considered it a success to collect Corrosive Vines before their Fog Lamps ran out, leaving no time to explore the swamp further.
Even with spare time, no one would imagine such a secret hidden in its depths.
The team’s stunned reactions were satisfying, but An Tong didn’t forget to address their curiosity. “I joined a dungeon run before and got lost when the team disbanded after running out of Fog Lamps. That’s when I stumbled across this place.”
“Tch, Tongtong, you’re such a klutz,” Yoyo teased, her curiosity piqued. “What’s in there?”
“I didn’t make it far before the dungeon ended.” An Tong replied vaguely, avoiding too much detail. “Anyway, let’s go check it out now.”
Though she knew the path was safe, An Tong played it cautious to avoid suspicion, directing the warriors and holy knights to the front as they slowly explored deeper.
The misty forest path wasn’t long.
Soon, the team reached its end: an open area blocked by a cliff, where a figure in a hooded robe stood gazing at a corroded tree.
“No monsters?” The team murmured curiously.
Appearing in such a dangerous swamp, the figure raised caution, and they readied for combat.
An Tong observed briefly before stepping forward to engage. “Hello.”
“Oh, it’s rare to meet someone here.” The figure turned, smiling warmly in response. “Greetings, adventurers. I’m Alpha, just an ordinary traveler.”
Though the hood obscured a face too delicate to easily distinguish as male or female, with white hair adding an ethereal air, the slightly hoarse voice confirmed Alpha as male.
“So youthful!” Scarlet Rain squealed.
“Stop swooning, though I’m kind of into it too…” Dream Cradle whispered.
“Is this the legendary god-tier trap?” Elk muttered.
An Tong coughed to hush the chatter behind her, addressing the figure. “Hello, Mr. Alpha. What are you doing here?”
“Well, I came to Shadow Swamp to find something, but I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I got lost.” Alpha smiled sheepishly, as if chiding himself for carelessness.
“We’re heading out. We can take you with us,” An Tong offered.
“Thank you, but I haven’t found what I’m looking for yet, so I’ll need to stay a bit longer.” The white-haired man shook his head, politely declining.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” An Tong asked.
“If you could spare some lighting items, that’d be great. This fog is quite bothersome.” Alpha maintained his gentle demeanor.
System: Dungeon side quest [Find the Light Source] activated.
Even without the system prompt, the team understood the task.
As expected, they watched An Tong hand over their two remaining Fog Lamps to Alpha.
But a few caught something odd.
“Something’s off.” Doran touched her lips, deep in thought.
Using the fire mages’ self-destruct tactic had shortened the Shadow Swamp clear time, saving Fog Lamps.
Coincidentally, this hidden quest required those lamps.
It all felt too seamless.
This clashed with An Tong’s claim of stumbling upon the path by accident.
The only explanation was that the little one had lied.
“How many secrets is this girl hiding?” Doran muttered, narrowing her eyes at the petite figure chatting with Alpha. “Tch, it’s hard not to be curious.”
Unbeknownst to her, Autumn Waters and Nightwish were casting similarly intrigued glances.
“Thank you, kind adventurers.” Alpha said, visibly pleased with the Fog Lamps.
“No need to be so polite, Mr. Alpha. We’ve cleared the Shadow Swamp, so helping you is no trouble at all.” An Tong replied, using practiced quest dialogue.
“All kindness deserves a reward, and I think you’ll need this.” Alpha smiled, handing her a small bottle of gray liquid while leaving a cryptic remark. “Don’t let beautiful things gather dust, brave adventurers.”
With that, he departed toward the path they came from.
Secret Rune Holy Water: Seems to purify corrupted items. Dungeon item, disappears outside the dungeon.
“What’s that?” The team crowded around, eyeing the bottle labeled Secret Rune Holy Water in An Tong’s hand.
After a moment’s thought, An Tong borrowed the cross from Fallen Sunny, given to them by the expedition leader Sien, and poured the holy water over it.
The cross, once dull and blackened with rust, gleamed gold as the gray liquid washed away the corruption.
Secret Rune Cross
Level Requirement: None
Attributes: Defense +30, Strength +10, Toughness +10, HP +150, increases healing received by 10%. When combined with the Secret Rune Magic Circle, weakens the Fallen Treant Lord’s abilities.
Usage Restriction: Black Prison Forest dungeon only
Compared to before, the attributes and effects were unchanged, but a new line of description had been added.
The team was surprised by the text.
“Huh, it can weaken the boss?” Scarlet Rain exclaimed.
“That’ll make clearing easier,” Elk added.
“The Secret Rune Magic Circle…” Red Coral, who had cleared Hard mode with the reclamation team, paused as something clicked. “Is that the magic circle in the Treant Territory?”
“Most likely.” Doran nodded.
Many guilds had studied the magic circle at the center of Treant Territory without uncovering its purpose.
No one expected it to tie into this hidden quest—not even Doran.
After completing the hidden storyline, the team retraced the path and left the Shadow Swamp.
Soon after, they reunited with Sien and his group, who had gathered other materials.
Sien thanked them profusely for the Corrosive Vines, pointed out the direction to the Fallen Treant Lord, and cautioned them to be careful before leaving with his weary teammates.
As the team pressed forward, the surrounding vegetation grew gray and lifeless.
Most trees were decayed and barren, a stark contrast to the vibrant forest entrance.
After battling several waves of monsters, the team finally reached the forest’s heart, nearing the Treant Territory.
The dungeon’s final act had begun.
“We’re finally here,” Mushui said.
“That’s the final boss, right?” White Rabbit Candy asked.
Stepping through sparse bushes, the team spotted the Fallen Treant Lord in the distance.
Excitement surged—they were one step from clearing Hard mode Black Prison Forest, surpassing most teams.
The Fallen Treant Lord was a pitch-black tree covered in dark bark.
Though intimidating, it struck the team as odd.
Its size wasn’t much larger than the Treants they’d fought, seeming underwhelming for a final boss.
After explanations from Doran and Red Coral, the team understood why.
…
…
Tch, messed up. Yesterday’s images all broke, but I fixed them late last night. Should be up in a day or two.
Three updates today, and we hit the shelves tomorrow. Hope everyone supports!